Self-centering hydraulic bearing for pump-shafts.



J. R. da F. H. PALMER. SELF GIBNTBRING HYDRAULIC BEARING rop. PUMP SHAPTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1013. L 10,569, Patented Septl 15, 1914,

T e I@ M ,m m a w ZEP. @n a d@ 4 x J. R. @L F. H. ALMER.

SELF CENTBRING HYDRAUMG BEARING POP. PUMP SHAPTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19,1913. l

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

E. BZmer 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.l

James fie/ H2367 mer I w a@ 5 'l 5 l Y x e 41 nnrnrir JAMES R. PLEJIER AND FENN E. PALMER, OF SAN BERNRDINO, CALEFOEA.

SELF-CNTERING HYDRAULIC BEARNG FR PUMP-SHAFTS.

To all 1li/710212 it fmt/,y concern y Be it known that we7 .lamas R. PALMER and PENN li. Pinnen. both citizens ot the United States. residing at. San Bernardino, in the county loi' San Bernardino and State ot'Calitornia. have invented a new and useful Self-(,entering Hydraulic Bearing for Pump-Shafts, or" which the following is a specification.

riliis invention relates directly to the provision of bearings t'or the rotary shafts of propeller and centrifugal pumps, but may be applied in other situations.

Ein object et this invention is to provide superior easily linstalled means for holding pump shafts in true alinement inside pump tubings.

Hcretotore it has been deemed necessary where bearings were required to hold in true nlineinent the vertical shafts of propeller pumps, to support said bearings by actual contact with the tubing through which the rotary shaft extended. There are various diiilculties to be overcome with such former construction, among which may be inentioned the di'iiiculty of oiling the bearings that are below the top of the well.

An object oi' this invention is to overcome all such 'diiiiculties and to provide a bearing which may be lowered indefinitely within the well tubing, and which may be adjusted up and down with great ease and convenience and disposed in place in the well tubing and to allow the liquid troni below to pass up through the tubing with minimum amount ot friction and obstruction.

`We discovered that if a rotating sleeve is placed inside ay tube and is provided with oriiices and *with niea'ns inside tliesleeve to direct liquid through the oritices to irnpinge upon the inside walls of the tubing, the hydraulic pressure created between the sleeve and the tubing will tend to hold the sleeve away from the tubing, and that it such orifices and impellers are properly disposed symmetrically around the sleeve there will be a balancing eii'ect whereby the pressures around the sleeve will tend to hold the sleeve in central position; and that by fixing such sleeve to the rotating shaft said shatt will be held true.

It is evident that dii'erent forms ot inipellers may be employed in carrying out our invention, and'we therefore regard this invention as broadly new and pioneere and We Specification of Letters Eatent.

Application tiled August 19, 1913.

Patented Sept. i5, itt/lid.

serial no. 785,557.

do not limit ourselves to specific construcu tion.

Broadly considered, the invention corn-r prises, in a hydraulic bearing for a shaft within tubing containing liquid. a curved surface concentric with and fixed to and revolving with the shaft, and means to `force liquid between said surface and the tubing; and in carrying out the invention we prefer to prdvide for each bearing a sleeve having two cylindrical elements concentric with and lixed to the shaft and a plurality or inwerdly extending tangential members in combination with segmental sections of the sleeve., arranged bet-Ween the cylindrical elements, whereby liquid will be. taken from the space between the shaft and the sleeve'and forced into the annular space between the cylindric surfaces of the sleeve and the tubing, as will more fully appear from the subjoined detail description.

Theaccornpenying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure l is a fragment-al elevation partly in section illustrating this inventionas installed in a well in connection with/a propeller pump. Fig. 2 is an enlarged lview of a portion of the same, parts being'y broken away to expose interior construction. Fig. 3 is a plan section from line w3, Figs'. l and 2. Fig. it is an axial section on line m4, Figs. 2, 3 and 5. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line m5, Figs. 2 and fi. Fig. 6 is an irregular' sectional elevation from line m6, Fig. 7, of a construction of bearing different from that shown in the preceding Views. Fig. 7 is a plan section on line m7, lEig. 6. Fig. 8 is a plan section through the wings oi a form of the invention in which three blades are einployed, being symmetrically disposed around the axis.

The usual joints for the casing, tubin and shaft are omitted from the views but are to be understood.

The well casing l, pump tubing 2, rotary shaft 3, propeller and water stops are of the usual construction, said stops' 5 frictionally contacting with the tubing. 2 but not contacting with the shaft 3, the purpose thereof being as heretofore to stop the Whirling motion of the water preparatory to its being taken up by the propeller et.

rhe bearing to which this invention re- `atcs may, as shown in Figsf l to 5,l inclu sive, comprise a. sleeve i5 orifices '4" produced by cutting out of and pressing in from the body of the sleeve a tongue to constitute the Wing 8. A number of these wings are provided and disposed in balancing position around the periphery of the sleeve, .there be ing shown in most of the drawings four such wings for each sleeve, all being the same size and arranged in pairs, the members of which are Adiametrically opposite each other vas clearly seen in Fig. 5. In Fig. 8 only three such wings are employed. f Said sleeve in the construction shown in Figs. l to 5, inclusive, is spaced from and fixed to the shaft 3 by helical blades 9 that have a circular contour and that fit the interior cylindrical walls of the sleeve 6, which sleeve in the process 'of construction is shrunk onto said circular blades, the purpose being to rovide a large bearing surface that will tend'to hold the sleeve in true cylindrical form. and to avoid obstruction of liquid passing through the tubing. Said blades are mounted on hub means 10, there being shown two blades for each hub and there being two hubs with their sets of blades for each sleeve, said sleeve having straight cylindrical por tions 11 at each end to fit the blades 9 above and below. the orifices 7 from which the wings 8 have been struck. These cylindrical portions form elements having curved surfaces concentric with the tubing and with the shaft.

Preferably the wings 8 are of rectangular form, being produced by the longitudinal cut .fr and the two transverse cuts b, c, that are of equal length with each other and eX- tend at right angles to the cut a and part way around the periphery, thus leaving be tween any two orifices 7, a segment 12 o f a cylinder; the several segments 12 being symmetrically disposed where an even number of wings is employed the Wings and also` the eylindric surfaces formed by the segments are arranged in pairs the members of each pair being diametrieally opposite each other as clearly seen in Fig.

The sleeve may be made of any suitable material, preferably of stiff sheet iron, steel or other suitable metal which will hold its shape under the pressures and strains to which the appliance may be subjected. The vertical edges 13 may be beveled or sharpened to cut the liquid with minitnum resistance.

The operation with the Jforms shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, is practically as follows when the rotation of the shaft 3 is in the direction toward which the free edges of the wings project. That is to say, the propeller blades 4 and the liquid stops 5 act in the usual way to cause the liquid lo flow up thc tube, and at the same time the sleeves fixed to the shaft rotate likewise and the inwardly projecting Wings 8 cut into the 'liquid and byreason0f the tangential arrangement of said wings causes'the liquid to b e impelled outward with considerable force through the orifices 7 into the space 14 between the cylindrical faces or segments 12 and the cylindrical internal walls of the tube 2, the result being that by this means considerable hydraulic pressure is exerted between the tubing and the balanced cylindrical segments, and this pressure being applied upon opposite sides by corresponding means symmetrically arranged around the axis steadily holds the sleeve, and consequently sustains the shaft in central position n'ithout any direct contact with the tubing.

By means of the helical arrangement of the supporting blades 9 the sleeve is connected to the shaft in such a manner as to minimize the friction of the water in its passage through the sleeve. In the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the sleeve is supported at its ends by a ring 15 connected by spokes 1G with the hub 17 fitted on the shaft 3 and fixed thereon with the set-screws 18. In this form the sleeve may be fastened to the ring 15 by rivets 19. The sides of the spokes are preferably inclined to cut through the liquid to avoid obstructing its passage.

Itis understood that any number of blades may be employed symmetrically disposed around the sleeve, there being shown four in Figs. l to 5, inclusive, and only three in Fig. 8.

lt is understood that the uninterrupted full cylindric surfaces shown at 11 effectively receivethe hydraulic pressure proliquid and that these elements or eyliadric surfaces shown at 11, being spaced apart from the. tubing and from the shaft are, in the form shown, the most important shaft centering surfaces and serve to apply the hydraulic force to steady the shaft and hold it in truecentral position.

1. In a hydraulic bearing for a shaft within tubing containing liquid, cur-:ed surfaces concentric with, spaced from, fixed to and revolving with the shaft and spaced from the tubing, and means to force liquid between said surfaces and thc tubing.

2. In a hydraulic bearing for a shaft within tubing containing liquid substantially as set forth, a sleeve fixed to the shaft and revolving therewith and having curved surfaces concentric with the shaft and spaced apart from the shaft and tubing, and also having means to act upon the liquid to force the same into the space between saidv I 100 duced by the action of the Wings on the f fumes Q connecte ywith the hub means and ied and :asieneci to the inside Waiis of the slee-Ve.

8. En iiydiaulic bearing foi' a shaft iny sice iiquid conainhing tubing, hub means' faces f ,f l." 'g fixed to he shift, helical blades on the hubz 35 und signe jv i i gri-33115, ie pefipheies Gf said blades being f kil-Guia?, and a sleeve having cylindrical pmiong shiunk on said blades and piovided between said Cyiindlicai potions Wh 0ri ces, and ijmcily p'rojecting .wings to 40 @ich liquid an@ foi-ce it outward as the shaft rotates.

9. The combination with a shaft and a tubing for containing liquid around the sii-(ifi, of hubs iixed to the shaft, helical i biades @n die hubs, a sleeve having cylinfii'icai portions fixed to said blades, said sieee 'being provided beween said cyiinmy -1 (i1-ical portions with ozlces, and inwardi 23 i pi'fiwiC v' f pioj'ecing Wings revoking with the hubs 50 o catch liquid and force i outward as the ,i i i shatiotates,

,een di@ n y y In testimony 'whereof, we have. hereunto ,fume im Ui se our hands ai San Bernardino, Caliform f with a shalt and tu nia, this lh day of iiiugusz, 1913.

' waar aomni the JAMES PALMER.

' with oifif'es; FENN H. PALMER.

1 L infimes and Cyiinln presence 0- milices; im@ means g ii. A. Bici-manson', zit; and ieiie'ai blades' E .L KENNEDY. 

